


Late Night

by happyg_rl



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Fic Exchange, M/M, Rare Pairings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-15
Updated: 2015-08-15
Packaged: 2018-04-14 18:38:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4575417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happyg_rl/pseuds/happyg_rl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Barry is out for a run at night and Cisco is the only one at the lab so they talk one-on-one over the headset. Simple, fluffy, with some angst. I added some insight into their own internal dialogue. Barry's thoughts are italicized while Cisco's are italicized and bolded. Mild language and light nudity.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Late Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Scathach](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scathach/gifts).



> This was such a blast to write! I didn't actually start watching the show until I got my assignment and I decided it would be fun to watch the whole first season. I'm glad I decided to watch it and go with this pairing. Barry is a treasure and I will probably continue to write in this universe in the future because it is just so great! Thank you or letting me write for you, and I hope you enjoy it :)

_I love the city at night..._

A gust of wind and a bolt of lightning flies through the recently rained-on streets. Although it seems as if this anomaly has a purpose and a destination, the man within the light is simply running. His mind is clear and he focuses solely on the feeling of near-flight and the city lights rushing past. He holds back the urge to let out a yell as the electricity and adrenaline fuel him to go even faster. 

“Hey Bare. Couldn’t sleep?”

He falters only slightly as the familiar voice fills his ears. He smiles softly. 

“Just thought I’d take a late-night stroll.”

There is a chuckle from the other end of the line. He can hear the clicking sounds of fingers stroking a keypad. 

“I guess only 200 miles per hour would be considered a stroll for you. Anything on your mind?”

Concern wraps itself around the question and Barry can’t help his heart from warming. 

“No, I’m alright Cisco. Just a little stressed I guess. There’s been a lot to deal with lately. I like to clear my head sometimes.”

There’s a pause, and for a moment Barry thinks Cisco has left the desk. 

“Do you want to be left alone?”

Barry takes a deep breath and scales the side of a building. He stops at the top and nearly tumbles off the side. 

“No! I mean, you don’t have to go. I don’t mind the company.”

_Wow, super smooth Barry._

Cisco smiles and breathes a sigh of relief. He didn’t really have anything to do and he likes the conversations they have when it’s just the two of them. He leans back in the chair and keeps his eyes trained on the little red dot on the screen. A thought crosses his mind and he can’t stop the laugh that it causes from erupting. 

Barry starts and laughs nervously. 

“What’s so funny?”

_Oh god. You’re in for it now idiot. He sees right through your oh-so-sly beg for attention._

“I was just thinking of situations that people might have been in on the night of the particle accelerator explosion that would lead to ridiculous meta-humans. It’s in really bad taste, but it keeps me sane.”

Barry smiles at that and his heart stops trying to beat itself out of his own chest. 

“Like what?” He asks and crosses his legs as he looks out over the city. 

“Well, what if someone had been taking a shower and had been affected? Would they shoot warm water and soap out of their hands?”

They both laugh at that. Cisco tries to think of something even more ridiculous, just to make Barry laugh like that again. Barry is glad to be on a rooftop where no one can see the way he’s grinning. 

“Or worse, what if someone was on the toilet?”

“Aww dude! I’m going to have nightmares about that!”

They continue in this fashion for quite some time. Since Cisco has such a knack for nick-naming the metas, he keeps Barry in stitches with names for their silly characters. 

“We would call her Rose and Thorn.”

“Why two names? It’s one woman controlling the plants.”

“Because she’s got a personality disorder. Did I forget to mention that?”

“So, she was gardening in an asylum or something?”

“Hmm. Maybe you’re right. Thorn would work by itself?”

“Well she doesn’t exist so it’s whatever you want to call her, Cisco.”

Cisco laughs at that and then nearly shivers at the thought of a meta-human having plant-controlling powers. It seemed silly at first, but the idea wasn’t too crazy. They’d seen worse. 

“We’ve been through a lot together,” Barry says, shocking Cisco as the words nearly mirrored his own thoughts. 

“Yeah, we have. I have a feeling this is only the tip of the iceberg of working with a superhero, though.”

“A superhero?” Barry asks, and there is an edge of teasing in his voice. 

Cisco blushes and stammers, trying to remember if he had ever called Barry a superhero before. _**Well, probably not out loud…**_

“Well, you know what I mean. A meta-human that is a good guy,” Cisco says quickly.

There is a pause and Cisco watches the screen as the small red dot starts to move. He’s running straight for S.T.A.R labs. A sudden jolt of panic washes over Cisco. 

_**Did I say something wrong?**_

He stands and accidentally knocks over the soda he had forgotten about. He curses and looks around frantically for something to clean the mess up with. 

“Here, use this,” Barry says and tosses Cisco his shirt. 

He barely has time to register the fact that Barry was able to get into the lab, change his clothes, and then take his shirt back off in the time it took him to spill a drink. 

_**You’re so cool, Cisco. I’m sure Barry is completely impressed by you right now.** _

“Thanks. I’ll make sure to clean it and get it back to you soon,” he says as he starts to mop up the soda with the still-warm shirt. 

The sticky sweet syrup and carbonation cover up Barry’s scent that lingered on the threads. Cisco starts to feel a little dizzy from the sugar and what must be cologne in the air. He turns around to look at Barry and his heart skips a beat as he realizes he’s just standing there shirtless. 

_**Well, duh, genius, he just took his shirt off.** _

“So, which is it?” Barry asks suddenly. 

Cisco’s brain tries to process the question and comes up blank. He stares at Barry blankly, forcing his eyes to remain on Barry’s face. 

“Am I a superhero or just a good guy meta?” He asks and tips his head to the side. 

His eyes glimmer with amusement and a smile plays at the corner of his lips. It’s mesmerizing and Cisco has to mentally kick himself to return to the real world. 

“Well, you are a meta-human. But you also spend most of your time saving people either with your powers or with your actual job. So, there’s no doubt that you’re a hero,” Cisco replies, crossing his arms. 

“Oh ok. So I am a meta-human-hero, but not super?” He asks. 

He’s smiling fully now, enjoying the teasing and wordplay. Cisco smiles back.

_**Ok, you’ll pull through this. Just don’t say you think he’s super and it’ll all be ok.**_

“I think you’re super.”

_**Goddammit.**_

Barry’s smile falters slightly and he nods as if he’s chewing the thought over. 

_He meant like a hero with superpowers. Stop nodding, that’s weird. Why are you acting like this, Barry Allen? You’re the Flash. Get it together._

“Cool. I always liked comic books growing up.”

_Nerd alert…_

“Really? Me too!” Cisco exclaims, glad for Barry’s oversight of his comment. 

Barry relaxes on the floor and Cisco returns to his seat as they discuss their favorite heroes and villains from their childhoods. Cisco does everything he can to keep Barry smiling or laughing as Barry tries hard to stop himself from laughing at every little thing Cisco says. At some point, they come to a lull in the conversation. Cisco lets himself admire Barry whenever Barry looks down at his hands or the floor. Barry bites his lip and wonders what to say. 

_Tell him thank you for staying up and talking with you while you were out. No, actually, don’t do that. Don’t. Seriously, don’t._

“Hey, Cisco? Thanks for talking with me while I was out. It was nice hearing your voice. Comforting.”

_What. Did you. Just. Say?_

“Anytime, Bare. I like talking with you, too.”

_**Why? Why would you do this?**_

The boys look at each other and smile, not sure what else to say. 

"What kind of cologne do you use?" Cisco asks suddenly. 

Barry blinks twice and opens his mouth slowly.

"I'm just running out of mine and I was wanting to try something new, if you have any recommendations?" Cisco rushes to explain. 

_**Nice, Cisco. Really nice. Not creepy at all. Nope.** _

Barry shrugs and shakes his head.

"I don't wear any cologne. I go through sticks of deodorant like candy, though."

_Ew. Why did you need to tell him that?_

Cisco's brain short-circuits momentarily as the scent from Barry's shirt returns to him in his memory. 

_**He just smells like that naturally?!**_

The door opens and Caitlin walks in with a paper coffee cup in one hand and her cell phone up to her ear.

“...be sure to let Barry know when I see him. Thanks for calling, Felicity. I’ll see you soon!”

She hangs up and looks into the room to see Cisco sitting at the desk and Barry lounging half-naked on the floor. She raises a single eyebrow.

“Long night?”

Barry stands instantaneously and laughs a little as he scratches the back of his head. 

“Yeah I guess we lost track of time. I didn’t realize it was morning already!”

Caitlin shoots Cisco a knowing look that causes him to blush. 

“Well, I would either take a cat nap or find some caffeine. Felicity’s calling in a favor. She’ll be here later today.”

Barry nods and sneaks a glance to Cisco, who’s checking his watch with surprise. 

“Wanna grab some coffee?” Barry asks the other boy. 

Cisco looks up and stammers slightly. 

“Uh, sure!”

“You might want to stop by your house first, Barry.” Caitlin says, looking pointedly at his chest. 

“Right! Yeah. I’ll uh meet you at Jitters?” Barry says.

Before Cisco can respond, he’s gone in a blast of wind. Caitlin smooths out her hair and grumbles something about never being able to keep a curl around here. She looks at Cisco again and smirks. 

“Well, get going! Wouldn’t want to be late for your first date,” she says and winks. 

Cisco laughs nervously and “pshh”s and “shawww”s. 

“Date. Yeah right. It’s just coffee.”

As he turns around to leave, he can’t help the smile that spreads across his face. 

_**A date...**_


End file.
